Fouzman turned me onto CB back a few years ago. I had never heard of it. As a matter of fact, the day I landed my 15 pounder, it was supposed to his day. He had called and asked me to go with a young man we both had been mentoring. I had only been once before.

One of the things that makes CB so special is the fact that there are no lakes above it or below it that can rise and flood into the main lake, or at least there wasn't until he built a new lake just behind the dam of the original lake. It just filled last winter. With no other lakes to overflow into CB, there is virtually no way to dilute the gene pool in the lake.

Mike Frazier, the owner understands one thing better than most trophy lake owners. You have to keep the bass population low and the baitfish population very high to grow GIANT Basses. That is why he takes EVERY FISH of 7 pounds and down out.

The new lake is about the same size as the original lake. He is calling it his Super Lunker lake. There is a 12" pipe that runs from the old lake to the new with a hand cranked valve to allow water to flow back & forth either direction based on which lake is higher.

The only fish going into that lake are the DD's from the original lake. I do not know how many DD's he has put into it so far but at last count the day I was there it was 20+. His hopes are that with No Males to fertilize the eggs, there will be no successful spawn for a few years allowing the Big Girls to grow and feed with no competition. Interesting concept to say the least but Mr. Frazier is always thinking outside of the box!

The one thing Mike understands better than anyone I have ever met regarding the growth of big bass is that to grow them into HUGE bass you have to keep the numbers down and the baitfish UP. That is why he started with only 250 Fingerlings in his original lake. Think about that. Only 5 bass per acre. If half of them were females that is a pretty low population to start off with.

He also does not want ANY GRASS whatsoever in his lake. He wants his fish to be able to feed "Unimpeded" as he puts it. In other words, he wants them to be able to expend the least amount of energy to feed. Kind of like locking a fat lady in a room full of delicious desserts! If you want her to get fatter, don't make her work for it!

This most likely goes against any conventional thinking of lake management that you guys are accustomed to but this is no ordinary lake my friends. This is a Freak Show of bass lakes. He does not want a lake full of 3-5 pound bass for recreation. He is trying to grow the biggest fish in the State possibly the world.

Understandably, a 16 pound bass is a long long way from 22 pounds but what Mike Frazier has created is arguably the best Trophy Bass Lake in the country. Is it worth $1,500 for two guys to fish there all day?? You be the judge.

Ken

That is pretty incredible and a great plan. With the trout I bet he gets a 17-18 pretty soon. Wonder why he puts the trout in the lake in February and not earlier in the fall-winter when the water cools enough. I bet there is a good reason. Great read.

I have fished Camelot Bell only one time, but it was well worth the trip. Like Ken said, this is not a 100 fish a day lake, and if you think you just show up and 12#ers jump in the boat you are mistaken. These are very smart Florida bass that will turn on or off at the drop of a hat. Mike usually tries to reschedule trips at Camelot if the wind is out of the North or if there is any kind of cold front because the fish get so hard to catch. I am supposed to go back in a few weeks and am super excited. My biggest fish last time was a 12-8 and I hope to break it this time. If you ever want to treat yourself to the trip of a lifetime, take a trip to CB. I assure you it will be challenging, but also very rewarding! Oh, don't even show up with anything less than 50# braid! Those fish will snap 20# like its dental floss! As far as the deer hunting vs private lake fishing, that is just stupid! It is much harder to make a fish eat than it is to get with in 300 yards of a deer!

I had never heard of Camelot Bell. I looked it up, now I know why. High Roller Fishing!



Way too rich for the Cast Dynasty! I always thought venison was the most expensive food in the world...

Those prices are meant to scare tire kickers away. Just like the prices for whitetail hunts on some of these put and take ranches. The trout are meant to bridge the gap between the Tilapia die off and the bream and shad spawns. The reason they went in late was availability.

Orders are sometimes difficult to get filled Croaker. Mike wanted them in there sooner but logistically it took longer than expected. Next year he will remedy that situation.
Yes Ken all true.
Camelot Bell since February has been on fire due to multiple reasons. On fire for Bell is pretty well blazing I can tell you.
Shad shad shad, prawn, bluegill, tilapia, and trout. Lots of time and effort with aquatic control and management. No other predators except those pure Florida bass. One new key is his lake is full and he can now control a steady water level due to his second lake(yes second lake!). Also every fish 7 lb or less is removed always. He takes great care of the catch and release of the bigger fish.
I salute him and his efforts and am proud and lucky to say I have fished there and can call him my friend.

1) Just because somebody asks for a price don't mean they're gettin' it.

2) Ever try to raise such an animal for profit? I have, ain't no profit in it, even at those prices.

3) Never ate no prime wagyu? I done got my share, right in downtown Kobe, Japan, but they got it here in Texas too. Costly but they's a lot more 'spensive stuff than that.

The dude's (Justin) story is compelling and I absolutely loved the it. Man knows what he wants and what he's willing to do to get it, and does so. Great story with a strong moral.

This is no big secret to have a big bass fishery, just like anything else. Forethought, planning, hard work, money, setbacks, learning, back to it, results.

I cannot for the life of me see where any true profit comes out of this operation if viewed stand alone and not part of a bigger, more diverse outfit.

As the operator of many such fishing outfits over a very long period of time, some yall would recognize, some not, I give a lot of credit to the owner's of the place. They've shown commitment to a goal. The genius behind it (as credited by the owner) was the now departed friend and mentor of mine, Harrell Arms. A great man in many ways...

I've a similar project on a much smaller scale at one of my places, an all female bass population with a lot of good water, habitat and forage. We've produced one 15.5 pound largemouth bass that was caught in a cast net, not rod and reel. Its still in the lake but nobody has caught it in a "sporting fashion," as of yet. Other big ones in there too.

I don't sell day trips like CB, you gotta join up in the club, and its a lot cheaper by the trip.....and none of my members has caught such a huge bass there. I keep hoping to see that big one or one like it caught, but it ain;t happened yet. Some tens and twelves, no fifteens.

Congrats to all involved.

If you want to think in terms of CB pricing vs 3guide trips, it's exactly the same. I would much rather do CB and catch the fish of a lifetime, or talk about the experience than get guided on whatever lake 3 times. That's just me. It's hard to have that $1,500 to plop down at one time, though, so I'm planning to start saving my quarters (not pennies, it'll take too long) and may schedule a time in 2017.

Come on Tom.. I'll split a trip with ya!!

Do it Tom!

By the graciousness of a TFFer, I was able to go to CB. I'm still trying to figure out how to get back

I STILL have dreams about one I hooked and unlike the multiple 8s and 9s, the 10 and the 12 we caught, it never jumped, just an unbelievable rod bending sloooooooow hard swim towards deeper water then pulled off.

I had the same experience the first time I went there. Chris had told me nothing less than 65# braid so I took a couple rods loaded with braid but I quietly thought to myself, I know how to handle big fish.... Heck, I fished for a living for years at Fork, the Big Bass Capital of America. I know how to handle Big Fish....

I pitched a lizard next to a tree in 9' of water. Picked up on it and saw my line headed to the left so I swatted the fish for all I had. As my rod loaded up the fish never even sped up. I held on as the bow in my rod deepened until my 25# Big Game parted. I am serious when I tell you the fish never sped up or changed direction before the line broke.

After I regained my composure it dawned on me that whatever it was that bit my lizard was simply swimming around looking for SOMETHING ELSE TO EAT!! She didn't even know she was hooked!!!!

I've wanted to catch a DD since I was about 7 years old. Living in Kansas it just ain't gonna happen. I think I'm going to have to try to save my pennies for several years for one day at this magic place! Are the dates hard to come by?

I can't remember if it was Joe, Chris or someone else, but one of these guys has a story about catching some really big fish at CB one day and then hooks into something that literally pulled them over on top of the outboard motor before it came unbuttoned or the line broke. It got me thinking.... Are there really some bass in there in a class we've yet to see? Like an 18? A 19? These happy thoughts lull me to sleep at night.

Man I'm ready for another trip.

It was Doc. He has a funny story about that fish...

Yes sir, that's how mine felt. Mine was on a BDS 4, shallow. I hit something, paused it, the line ticked, I reared back and thought I was hung, the fish didn't move for the first second or so, then slowly started swimming off. First little pocket next to the dam that's got some concrete blocks or something in it. I had 65 lb braid on mine though. After it started swimming and I could not turn it, I had to switch my grip, holding the rod below the reel with my right hand and holding just above the reel with my left. At that point I was just "holding on". I loaded the rod to the breaking point, the fish never turned or sped up, just moving at a steady pace towards the dam. I suspect that the fish inhaled the bait and never even felt a hook, then flared and blew the bait out, like a lot of big ones have done me.

I've caught several DDs, and have had on some that just whipped me. I have never had one on like that though. Mike wasn't in the boat when that happened, and when we told him that I think I had a huge flathead on, he laughed, and said there are no catfish in the lake. I was that convinced there was no way it was a bass. He said it was likely one of the original stockings and that he'd seen that happen to some other folks there. FYI, a Dobyns 705C is not near enough rod for a fish like that.

Can we even guess at the weight?